United Way announces new priorities for 2019 to close ‘opportunity gaps’

The Greater Twin Cities United Way has a new mission — to close what it calls “opportunity gaps.”

The group — the second-largest in the nation, with an annual budget of $77 million — announced its new set of priorities on Thursday.

“We want to make this a region where everyone can thrive, regardless of income, race or place,” said Acooa Ellis, senior vice president of community impact.

In 2019, United Way will spend more money related to housing, education, and employment and household income.

It will spend less money for health care, legal services, drop-in shelters, and services that help seniors and people with disabilities live independently.

Officials have not yet decided how their money will be split up in 2019, or which nonprofits will be added or subtracted from their list of recipients. Programs being cut from United Way’s roster will be funded through the end of 2019, said Ellis.

To reset their priorities, United Way officials conducted more than 100 meetings with donors and the nonprofits they support. Officials also tracked why people call their hotline — and found that affordable housing was the No. 1 issue with callers.

Using that information, they put United Way on a new path, according to Trent Blain, interim United Way CEO.

“This is a new strategy for community-building,” he said. “We are charting the next 100 years of United Way.”

Vice president Ellis said that United Way’s new push for housing will include providing shelter for homeless people. It will specifically target those who recently have been hospitalized, incarcerated or housed in foster care.

She said part of providing stable housing will be insuring access to food that is healthful, high-quality and “culturally relevant.”

United Way’s focus on education will promote job training and early childhood education. It will increase spending for “social and emotional learning” for students in grades six through 12.

The group’s new economic-opportunity funding will support programs to offer career-oriented advice and training. It will also help coach people so they can better manage their money.

“If you don’t have a nest egg, when you get your car fixed it could jeopardize your livelihood,” said Ellis.

She explained that underlying United Way’s goals are two other themes — addressing mental illness and promoting racial equity. Those are two concerns that were expressed by the United Way nonprofits, said Ellis.

“We identified the greatest needs and areas of disparity,” said Ellis.

Ellis said the new mission puts United Way on the right path.

“Today, we can reasonably predict a person’s life outcomes based on their income, race and place of residence,” said Ellis.

“Disparities are not inevitable. There are multiple, complex reasons they exist — and, I believe that as a community, we can change the narrative together.”